In memory, I stand outside
My parents’ bedroom door
To peek at their TV to see
An actor I adore.
It’s Kookie (Edd Byrnes in real life)
On “Sunset Strip” at night,
Way past my bedtime, which is why
I stood there, out of sight.
He died this week at 86;
The obit with his name
Says he was a “TV heartthrob”
And what brought him instant fame
Were his looks and famous head of hair
Which he would always comb,
Inspiring a song with
Connie Stevens and this poem.
So Kookie, rest in peace.
You’ll never lend your comb again,
Though you were sure “the ginchiest”
Of all the TV men.
Categories:
byrnes, memory, nostalgia,
Form: Rhyme
What I’d give to wake in the morning and hear those church bells ring
To turn on my old black and white and hear Gene Autry sing
Turn back the time to simpler days with Roy and Dale too
Wait for the Late Show and watch the antics of Bud and Lou
All the girls thought Kookie Byrnes was really hip
Driving a convertible on Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Kryptonite was the only thing that could make Superman falter
Ramar’s friend Charlie talked to a parrot named Walter
I watched Kitty and Chester on Gunsmoke and listened to Ricky sing
There was Circus Boy, My Friend Flicka and don’t forget Sky King
There was Jeff and Lassie, Davy Crockett and the Wild Frontier
I’d watch Robin Hood and Marian in the days of Queen Guinevere
Remember The Thin Man, The Whistler and The Shadow Knows
Alfred Hitchcock and Inner Sanctum were two of my favorite shows
I remember Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Perry Como would croon
What’s my Line, Beat the Clock and Name That Tune
The Life of Riley, Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best
Palladin, Sugarfoot, and Cheyenne in the Old West
Boxing from Madison Square Garden on Friday Night
I saw it all on my old black and white.
Categories:
byrnes, nostalgiaold, friend, old,
Form: Rhyme